Mumbai Indians have plans for Tendulkar

Retired cricketer likely to be felicitated in December.

For all those who thought Sachin Tendulkar would finally get to move away from the limelight and sit back to ponder on the last 24 years of his life, close friends Nita and Mukesh Ambani are learnt to be planning a big celebration in the first half of December to commemorate his stellar career.

If sources close to the Little Master are to be believed, there could also be a major announcement regarding his role with Mumbai Indians in that very party, now that he has hung up his boots.

"A party is being planned by the Ambanis in the first or second week of December. It all depends on when Tendulkar returns to India. He has some business commitments and also wants to spend some quiet time, so he will be going out of the country. So there is nothing more planned for this month,” the source told Mail Today. Nita — owner of Mumbai Indians — had said a few days ago that Tendulkar would have a big role to play in the seventh edition of the Indian Premier League — even though he has stopped playing — and it could very well be at this party that Nita ends all speculation and announces what exactly his role will be with the franchise come 2014.

While some have been speculating that it could be as a mentor that Tendulkar stays associated with the team, there is also another school of thought which believes that he could be the guiding force behind Mumbai Indians’ initiative to spread the game at the grassroot level.

Another interesting aspect is that Tendulkar is looking to market his brand globally.

A logo (ST) has already been designed and while it was earlier seen just on Tendulkar’s bat, it was all over the place when the legend addressed a press conference in Mumbai a day after his retirement.

It is believed that the logo will slowly be extended to cricket academies across the world, coaching books and manuals, sporting equipment, health and energy drinks among others.

The love for Tendulkar isn’t restricted to just his contemporaries. And from the time that he announced his retirement, the Board of Control for Cricket in India, Mumbai Cricket Association, Cricket Association of Bengal and even fans and well-wishers have jumped on the bandwagon to celebrate Tendulkar’s cricketing journey.

In a show of appreciation, Tendulkar invited his friends and teammates to a dinner party on Monday.

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